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Roswell Records

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Roswell Records
Company typeRecord label
GenreRock, punk rock, post-grunge
Founded1995
FounderDave Grohl (president)
HeadquartersNew York City, U.S.

Roswell Records is an American record label founded by Dave Grohl in 1995 for his band Foo Fighters. It is currently an imprint of RCA Records and is based in New York City.[1][2][3]

History

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Capitol Records (1995–1999)

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The label was originally set up by Capitol Records as a holding company to retain the rights to Grohl's post-Nirvana music, its name a reference to the Roswell incident.[4][2] Roswell's first release was the Foo Fighters' self-titled debut album in 1995. The gun on the album's cover is partly intended as a reference to the outer space theme associated with the names of both Roswell Records and the Foo Fighters.[4][5]

RCA Records (1999–present)

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In July 1999, both Foo Fighters and Roswell left Capitol and signed with RCA Records at the height of the band's popularity.[6] It was one of the most high-profile artist signings of the year and shifted the distribution rights of Foo Fighters-owned media from Capitol to RCA for their next studio album, There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1999). Since then, every Foo Fighters album released under the Roswell label has been distributed by RCA.

Roswell Films

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Roswell Films
Company type
  • Film
  • Television
Founded2012
FounderDave Grohl (president)
Headquarters
New York City
,
United States

In 2012, the imprint formed the film subsidiary Roswell Films, which co-produced and co-distributed Grohl's directorial debut documentary film Sound City (2013).[7] The film discusses the historic importance of Sound City Studios and its Neve 8028 console to the world of rock music, along with other recording genres. Sound City debuted on January 18, 2013, to overwhelmingly positive reviews with a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.[8] After the success of Sound City, Grohl expressed interest to Billboard of doing another production.[9] According to Grohl,

After making Sound City, I realized that the pairing of music and documentary works well because the stories give substance and depth to the song, which makes for a stronger emotional connection. So I thought, ‘I want to do this again, but instead of just walking into a studio and telling its story, I want to travel across America and tell its story.[10]

On May 15, 2014, it was announced that the Foo Fighters' eighth album would be released in the fall of 2014, and that the band would commemorate the album and their 20th anniversary with a television miniseries.[11] Each song on the new album was recorded in a different city, featuring "local legends" on each song and lyrics inspired by the "experiences, interviews and personalities that became part of the process." It was later announced the series to be titled, Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways and was set to broadcast on HBO on October 17, 2014.[12][13] With each of the eight episodes is presented as an exploration of the musical history of a different American city through a series of interviews by Grohl. The group is also shown incorporating what they learned from the interviews into the writing and recording of a new song in or near that city. The series received equal acclaim to Sound City with the series receiving four nominations at the 67th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards and ultimately winning two of the four.[14]

In February 2021, it was announced that Grohl would be producing and directing a documentary streaming television series, based on the autobiographical novel From Cradle to Stage: Stories from the Mothers Who Rocked and Raised Rock Stars by his mother Virginia Grohl.[15] The series, From Cradle to Stage premiered exclusively on Paramount+ on May 6, 2021, airing six episodes. In April 2021, it was announced Grohl directed a documentary What Drives Us, on van touring. It was released on April 30, 2021, on the Coda Collection via Amazon Prime.[16] In November 2021, it was reported that a film starring the Foo Fighters, titled Studio 666 was shot in secret with filming taking place in the same house the band recorded their album Medicine at Midnight.[17] Nearing the end of filming in early 2020, production was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Production resumed in Los Angeles months later, becoming one of the first films to do so during the pandemic.[18]

On December 2, 2021, a sneak peek trailer was uploaded to the band's YouTube channel.[19] The official trailer was announced through the band's Twitter on January 10, and was released on January 11.[20][21][22] The film was released theatrically on February 25, 2022, by Open Road Films.[23]

Productions

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Year Title
Director(s) Distributor(s) Associated Production Companies RT
2013 Sound City Dave Grohl Co-distribution with Gravitas Ventures and Variance Films 100%[8]
2014 Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways HBO Diamond Docs, Therapy Content and Worldwide Pants 85%[24]
2021 What Drives Us Amazon Prime Diamond Docs and Therapy Content 80%[25]
From Cradle to Stage Paramount+ Endeavor Content, Live Nation Productions and MTV Entertainment Studios N/A
2022 Studio 666 B. J. McDonnell Open Road Films Briarcliff Entertainment and Therapy Studios 55%[26]

Accolades

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Roswell Films has received numerous nominations and awards for their productions.

Year Title Award Category Result Ref(s)
2014 Sound City Cinema Eye Honors Awards Cinema Eye Audience Choice Prize Won [27]
Grammy Awards Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media Won
Best Rock Song ("Cut Me Some Slack") Won
Satellite Awards Best Documentary Film Nominated [28]
2015 Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways NME Awards Best TV Series Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program Nominated [14]
Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special Nominated [29]
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program Won [30]
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program Won [31]
2016 Grammy Awards Best Music Film Nominated [32]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Crane, Matt. "Foo Fighters perform under different name, remain badass". Alternative Press Magazine. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Foo Fighters. 2004. Archived from the original on July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2018. {{cite encyclopedia}}: |website= ignored (help)
  3. ^ "Foo Fighters Sign With RCA". MTV. Archived from the original on February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Wilkinson, Carl (April 10, 2011). "Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters". Slate.com. ISSN 1091-2339. Archived from the original on July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2018. When he formed Foo Fighters, Grohl set up Roswell Records as a holding company for the band's entire music catalogue, which is then licensed to a record company for a six- to seven-year period at a time.
  5. ^ Childers, Chad (July 4, 2017). "23 Years Ago: Foo Fighters Emerge With Debut Album". Loudwire.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  6. ^ "Foo Fighters Sign With RCA". MTV. Archived from the original on February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  7. ^ "Dave Grohl Reveals Details on 'Sound City' Documentary". Rolling Stone. May 1, 2012. Archived from the original on July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  8. ^ a b "Sound City (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  9. ^ "Dave Grohl on Foo Fighters' new album: we didn't want to "make some crazy, bleak Radiohead record"". consequence.net. May 23, 2014.
  10. ^ Halperin, Shirley (May 31, 2014). "Rock Hall of Fame: Dave Grohl on Nirvana Honors, Reuniting with Courtney Love: 'It Was Beautiful' (Q&A)". Hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  11. ^ "Foo Fighters To Commemorate Eighth Album & 20th Anniversary With HBO Series Documenting Eight-City Recording Odyssey". FooFighters.com. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
  12. ^ "Foo Fighters Sonic Highways – The Official Website for the HBO Series". Hbo.com.
  13. ^ "Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl teases 'Sonic Highways' television series with trailer – watch". Nme.com. June 1, 2014.
  14. ^ a b "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  15. ^ White, Peter (February 24, 2021). "Dave Grohl & His Mom Drum Up 'From Cradle to Stage' For Paramount+ Alongside 'Unplugged' & 'Yo! MTV Raps' Revivals". Deadline Hollywood.
  16. ^ Strauss, Matthew (April 12, 2021). "Watch the Trailer for Dave Grohl's New Movie What Drives Us, Featuring St. Vincent, Ringo Starr, and More". Pitchfork.
  17. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (November 8, 2021). "Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl Unveils Horror Comedy Movie Studio 666; Open Road Lands WW Rights For February Theatrical Release". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  18. ^ Scarlett, Elizabeth (December 31, 2021). "Dave Grohl on Foo Fighters' Horror Film Studio 666: "There's No Other Band Stupid Enough To Do This!"". Loudersound.com. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  19. ^ "STUDIO 666 SNEAK PEEK". Retrieved January 12, 2022 – via YouTube.
  20. ^ "Studio 666 (Official Trailer)". Retrieved January 12, 2022 – via YouTube.
  21. ^ Clark Collis. "Dave Grohl is a man possessed in trailer for Foo Fighters horror movie 'Studio 666'". Ew.com. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  22. ^ "Foo Fighters' horror film 'Studio 666' is "absolutely insane", says Dave Grohl". Nme.com. December 31, 2021. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  23. ^ Strauss, Matthew (November 8, 2021). "Foo Fighters Announce New Horror Comedy Movie Studio 666". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  24. ^ "Sonic Highways (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  25. ^ "What Drives Us (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  26. ^ "Studio 666 (2022)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  27. ^ "2014 – The 2022 Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking". Cinema Eye Honors. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  28. ^ Pond, Steve (December 2, 2013). "'12 Years a Slave' Tops Satellite Award Nominations". TheWrap. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  29. ^ "Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  30. ^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Television Academy. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  31. ^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Television Academy. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
  32. ^ "Grammy Past Winners Search: 2015 Music Video/Film". Grammy.com. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
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